Contests, YouTube and Commercials Converge for Skin Product- NY Times

By ANGEL JENNINGS

Published: July 26, 2007

GOING to a dermatologist for antiwrinkle injections is not just for women on Park Avenue, according to the maker of a cosmetic wrinkle filler. Middle-income women can enjoy youthful skin, too, the company’s new advertisements suggest.

Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation, which makes medical and aesthetic products for the skin, introduced a multimedia campaign this week to promote Restylane, a dermal injection that reduces the appearance of wrinkles. It is the first time that the company, which says that Restylane is the top-selling in its category, has marketed the product directly to consumers.

A television spot, which is being shown on cable channels like Lifetime, depicts the before-and-after results of an actual patient, and the mental musings of actresses (playing Restylane patients) who discuss the joys of looking younger (which include a good deal of male attention).

A second component of the campaign is a video skit on YouTube, capturing a woman’s 50th birthday party. While her son compiles a video birthday card, the mother is caught on a couch smooching with a younger man.

Viewers do not know that it is an ad until the last 15 seconds, when the company’s logo and disclaimer appears. So far, the clip has been viewed more than 13,000 times.